Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

Renaissance Awards Winners For 2021 Announced

Details: 05 Mar

Hillwood Stable, Brittany Russell and Jevian Toledo were voted Owner of the Year, Trainer of the Year and Jockey of the Year, respectively, as part of the Renaissance Awards for 2021. The Renaissance Awards were created to recognize the best of Maryland racing and breeding from the previous year.

The fifth annual Renaissance Awards, a cooperative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Maryland Jockey Club, was celebrated virtually again this year. The results were announced online from Feb. 28-March 5. The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association earlier announced its Grooms of the Year for 2021: Antoinette Charles Orellana (Laurel) and Julio Garcia (Pimlico)

Match Is Back For 2022

Details: 05 Mar

The highly popular Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH), the only one of its kind in racing, returns for 2022 with additional partner racetracks, a $2.2 million stakes schedule that spans April 16 through Oct. 3 and more than $400,000 in bonus money for owners, trainers and breeders.

After a successful 2021 Series concentrated in Maryland and Virginia and designed to serve as a bridge to the future given the cancellation of MATCH in 2020 due to widespread COVID-19 restrictions and the suspension of live racing for several months, Parx Racing and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course return to the lineup. They will join Laurel Park in Maryland and Colonial Downs in Virginia for 2022.

Seminar Rescheduled For April 20

Details: 05 Mar

Dr. Patty Hogan, an internationally renown New Jersey-based equine surgeon who regularly works with retired racehorses and assists various aftercare programs in the Mid-Atlantic region, will host an upcoming seminar titled, “Avoiding the One Last Race Syndrome—Where are we now and what is your role as an owner or trainer?”

The program, sponsored by Beyond The Wire, will be held Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. in the Conference Center in the grandstand at Laurel Park. Plans are in the works to record the seminar so it can be used for Continuing Education purposes. Trainers in Maryland and some other states are required to have four hours of CE per year as a condition of licensing.

Backstretch Pension Contribution Increases

Details: 05 Mar

The MTHA Board of Directors has approved an increase in the Backstretch Pension Fund contribution to $1 million for Plan Year 2021-22 pending approval by the Maryland Racing Commission .

The contribution is up $100,000 from Plan Years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The amount represents a 250% increase from Plan Year 2017-18 when the contribution was $400,000.

Monica Mackinnon Remembered By Entire Racing Community

Details: 05 Mar

A memorial service for Monica Mackinnon, a longtime member of the Maryland racing community, will be held Tuesday, March 15, in Tycoons in the Laurel Park clubhouse. The service will be held at 11:30 a.m., and all are invited to attend.

Monica, who passed away Feb. 20, worked at the racetrack since the age of 16. She had lived in Bowie since the 1960s and worked at the Bowie Training Center with her husband, Brad, until training ended in 2015.

March 2022 Newsletter Available

Details: 04 Mar

The March 2022 edition of the Horsemen's Newsletter is now online and available for download. To view this edition click here

The Horsemen's Newsletter is published monthly by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and is mailed to licensed owners and trainers in the state of Maryland.